Rajeev Shukla, the vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), issued a clarification after four Australia A players fell sick after consuming food from a hotel in Kanpur.
The incident happened last week after the second ODI between India A and Australia A. Henry Thornton’s situation got so bad that he had to be taken to Regency Hospital, and it was then that his condition was stabilised.
The incident raised questions about the quality of food and the accommodations provided to the players. However, Shukla dismissed these concerns about unhygienic meals, saying the food came from a reputed hotel and there was no reason to believe that the issue was food poisoning.
“If there had been an issue with the food, all players, including the Indian players, would have fallen sick. It must have been something else. They are being fed food from one of the finest hotels, Hotel Landmark; the food is good, and everyone is eating the same. Since a few players have fallen ill. Idhar udhar se koi infection aa gaya hoga (They may have contracted an infection), and we are handling it,” Shukla told reporters.
“The issue arises because there aren’t many hotels. We need 300 rooms in a five-star hotel, and that’s not available. There is no international airport in the area that operates 24 hours a day. Had better arrangements been in place, they would have gained an advantage.”
When the BCCI official was asked why such issues don’t arise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he said that franchises are tasked with arranging top arrangements for their players and staff, and it is not the responsibility of the BCCI.
“In the case of the IPL, everything depends on the franchises. They decide where the players stay, and it’s entirely their choice, as the BCCI does not have any role in the decision-making. They choose a hotel of their preference,” Shukla stated.
India A win the three-match ODI series
Shreyas Iyer-led India A defeated Australia A by two wickets in the third and final ODI at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on Sunday to win the three-match series 2-1.
Opening batter Prabhsimran Singh played a 102-run knock off 68 balls, and he was ably supported by Riyan Parag (62 off 55 balls) as India chased down the target of 318 with 24 balls to spare. Iyer also chipped in with a captain’s knock of 62 runs off 58 balls.
In the end, Vipraj Nigam and Arshdeep Singh remained unbeaten on 24 and 7, respectively. Earlier, India had won the opening ODI while Australia won the second ODI.